Band structures and optical properties of two transition-metal carbides—TiC and ZrC

Abstract
The optical reflectivities of face-centered-cubic TiC and ZrC have been measured in the range 1.0ω8.0 eV. In addition, the electronic-energy-band structures for these compounds have been calculated using a modified empirical-pseudopotential method, and the structures in the reflectivities derived from these band structures show approximate one-to-one correspondence to the structures in the data, with agreement to the order of 0.2 eV. Prominent structures in the measured reflectivities of both compounds are identified.